Dwindling Sun
by LibertyBlaze
Summary: Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. (Based mainly on the Battle for Arachna online game. Please note that the game was shut down before I could finish it, so I kinda had to wing it in later chapter.) Eventual Igneous/Reader?


Well. This was _unexpected,_ to say the least.

All you'd been doing was investigating local legends. There was no way to know things would turn out like this.

You and all your friends had grown up listening to amazing stories that told of brave warriors, battle spiders, a world completely different from you own.  
>Yes, for the longest time, the tale of the Inner World was something every child knew by heart. But as people grow, they lose the beautiful sense of childish wonder that makes everything seem possible. Eventually, the Inner World faded from legend to storyline, and then to memory's shadows. It was something that would come up in nostalgic conversation- everyone would laugh at the memories, and then move on with their life.<p>

Everyone but you, anyways.

These were the stories you grew up on, and they fueled your best memories and favorite dreams.  
>They say every story has a grain of truth to it, and you wanted to know where this story came from.<br>So you went to find where it all began.

You'd tracked the myths to an old temple hidden deep in the forest. It was a place you'd never known existed, and all the unknown possibilities thrilled you to the core.  
>The temple was obviously abandoned, but mysteriously well-kept. It was square, resembling a Mayan pyramid. There were cracks in the stone, and parts of the stairs were missing. But other than that, it was almost habitable. Everything was clean and stable, and the place was filled with a warm, inviting presence.<p>

You followed the stairs as high as you could, eventually meeting a gap you couldn't jump. You scrounged around in your bag for a grappling hook. Once you found it, you whirled the rope above your head, tossing it high enough to hook on the opposite edge of the gaping cavern. Without even stopping to think, you took a flying leap, swinging across the divide. Your feet hit the opposing wall, and you began climbing upwards. Upon reaching the top, you scrambled to your feet and began looking around. Now that you were closer, you could get a better look. The temple was made of some kind of blue stone, and seemed to glow even in the bright sun. There were faint pictures etched on the walls- running your hands across them, you were able to discern stories of warriors and their eight-legged mounts.

Stories you knew by heart.

Excited now, you kept your hand on the wall as you ran. Tracing out the tales of your memories, you reached the heavy stone door. It was inlaid with gems and precious metals, both cold and warm to the touch. Without hesitation, you shoved it open and stepped inside.

On the inside, things were quite different. Even though the blue stone was the same, it didn't glow. There was junk all over the floor, and the writings on the wall were filthily unreadable. While the outside had emanated a beautifully inviting aura, the inside felt as if were trying to drive you away. But you'd come this far, and weren't about to turn back. You glanced around in the dim light, noticing a door on the far wall. It was hidden by a pile of wood and metal- shouldn't take much to move, though. As you stepped closer, a sound rose above the noise of your scuffling boots- _voices?_ It was a faint whispering, sounding female. Was someone else here? Since the voice was so weak, they might be hurt. Curious and worried, you began hauling things out of the way, so you could get to the door. It didn't take long, but as you were finishing up, something latched onto your wrist. You squealed, not expecting anything like that. Ohmigawsh, what if it was something dangerous, a snake, a spider?! It was too dark to see properly, so you started flailing around in a desperate attempted to get it _off!_ In your panic, you slammed into the door and it whirled open. You fell into a large, circular room. There was a design on the floor, all criss-crossed lines and mysterious shapes. Across from you was the statue of a woman. She was beautiful, with her hair flowing upwards and her long dress reaching the floor. Forgetting whatever was on your wrist, you inched closer. As you neared the statue, the voice got louder. Was it coming from her? The longer you stared, you could swear color was beginning to fade in. Her hair was green, her dress was white, and she wore a crown of large red pearls. By this point, the voice was quite audible, but the words ran together and you couldn't understand.

All of a sudden, the statue's eyes flew open. Startled, you jumped backwards, landing on the floor's insignia. It was _glowing_ now, and you could understand what the voice had been saying.

_"I need your help."_

And with that, the floor disappeared.


End file.
